During hurricane season, the images of empty shelves are seen almost as frequently as those of the forecasts showing potential paths of storms.

Current projections show Hurricane Florence bearing down on the East Coast, threatening North and South Carolina this week.

Residents are heeding official warnings and are already making a run on supplies.

The pictures of vacant grocery store aisles are flooding social media. They show the places in supermarkets that are normally filled with pallets of bottled water and bread, among other supplies. They are being purchased in preparation for Florence, which is expected to be a “dangerous major hurricane,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Went to Walmart today to stock up on supplies for #Florence, they had already run out of water hours before. I grabbed all other #essentials I could think of, including yoga pants and wine. At least I'll be comfy, happy, and tipsy.

Everyone in North and South Carolina needs to seriously start preparing for Florence. Get water, gas, and cash NOW because you won't be able to in a couple days.. EVERYONE will be trying to do the same thing.

There have been reports from the Lowcountry as well as the Upstate in South Carolina, about barren shelves. There already have been many similar reports from across North Carolina, including Wilmington which is currently forecast by many computer models as the center of Florence’s landfall.

We just wrapped up our first conference call with emergency response leaders from across the state. Team South Carolina is ready to respond, please make sure you and your family take steps to be prepared as well. Visit https://t.co/wa9vkSEPfL for the latest. pic.twitter.com/iJkFEuyD6x